+3 Interview: Maria Shehata: Wisdomless

“I was in the Arches that year, and they were doing construction on the site. My first show had to be postponed because they dug up human remains.”

WHO: Maria Shehata, Artist

WHAT:“Having moved 5,437 miles for love, award-winning Egyptian-American comedian Maria Shehata presents her debut hour of playfully sardonic stand-up. Charmingly conversational and brutally honest, Maria divulges the realities of giving up a glamorous LA lifestyle to discover that saying ‘I moved here for you’ does not win every argument. Winner: Best Comedian at Hollywood Festival of New Cinema and Best Comedy at the Miami Web Fest.”

I came up two years ago in 2015. I did a week run, about a 40 minute stand up show. I was sort of dipping my toes into the festival, as an American I don’t think I fully understood what it was all about. I was in the Arches that year, and they were doing construction on the site. My first show had to be postponed because they dug up human remains.

Tell us about your show.

My show is called Wisdomless about my move from LA to the UK for love, and the reality of that. I have been writing it since March, and was having a hard time getting structure down so I wrote it as an article and submitted it to Modern Love in the New York Times. And they published it! It’s being produced by Wandering Eye Productions in association with Noel Gay.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?